Many Chinese unsatisfied with quality of life

Beijing, Jan 8 (IANS) Amid rising living costs and changing social values, a majority of people in China said they were unsatisfied with their quality of life in 2012, says a new study.

A report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said only around 44.7 percent of people polled nationwide were satisfied in 2012, a decrease of 2.3 percent from the previous year, the China Daily reported.

Even among those who said they were satisfied with their lives, their satisfaction index decreased from 3.46 to 3.41 on a scale of zero to five points.

The report said 12.3 percent of those surveyed were "dissatisfied".

Wang Junxiu, lead author of the report, said price rise and growing employment pressures were the biggest factors contributing to the increasingly gloomy mood.

The decline in satisfaction was seen among people in a wide range of professions, ranging from those in state-owned enterprises and government organisations to farmers and workers in the service sector.

The report found higher levels of satisfaction among rural residents.

People who live in rented accommodations are generally less happy than those who have their own homes, it said.

The level of social trust also went down from the figure for previous years.

The study divided social trust into two categories -- people's trust in society and their trust in personal connections.

In seven cities, people had very low trust in businesses, including catering, tourism, pharmaceutical and real estate sectors.

Interpersonal relationships also scored low. Only 20-30 percent of respondents said they would trust strangers.

"There is distrust between the authorities, police and residents, doctors and patients, and customers and businesspeople," the report said.